The birds along twenty 500 m lengths of coastal borrowdyke (water-filled ditches left when clay is extracted to make a sea wall) in eastern England were counted in spring 2004 and occurrence related to features of habitat. A total of 45 species was recorded with species richness ranging from 5–21. The most widespread species were little grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis, mute swan Cygnus olor, mallard Anas platyrhynchos, moorhen Gallinula chloropus, coot Fulica atra, sedge warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus, reed warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus and reed bunting Emberiza schoeniclus, all typical wetland birds. Of 20 habitat variables measured, six (open water, narrow and broad marginal Scirpus, width, and low and tall thick scrub) were significant in describing species abundance data in a Canoco analysis. The linear coastal habitat of borrowdykes is regionally important for the conservation of some wetland species and current rotational management for land drainage purposes maintains the variety of habitats to retain a diversity of bird species.
Plateumaris constricticollis is a donaciine leaf beetle endemic to Japan, which lives in wetlands and uses Cyperaceae and Poaceae as larval hosts. We analyzed geographic variation in body size and ovipositor dimensions in three subspecies (constricticollis, babai, and toyamensis) in different climatic conditions and on different host plants. In addition, the genetic differentiation among subspecies was assessed using nuclear 28S rRNA gene sequences. The body size of subspecies toyamensis is smaller than that of the other subspecies; mean body size tended to increase towards the northeast. Ovipositor length and width are smaller in subspecies toyamensis than in the other subspecies. Although these dimensions depend on body size, ovipositor length still differed significantly between toyamensis and constricticollis-babai after the effect of body size was removed. Multiple regression analyses revealed that body size and ovipositor size are significantly correlated with the depth of snow, but not temperature or rainfall; sizes were larger in places where the snowfall was greatest. Haplotypes of the 28S rRNA gene sequence were not shared among the subspecies. Subspecies constricticollis and babai each had a unique haplotype, whereas subspecies toyamensis had four haplotypes, indicating differentiation among local populations within toyamensis. The evolution of body and ovipositor size in relation to habitat conditions and host plants is discussed.
Archaeology has a great deal of experience with how the misinterpretation of finds creates a false image of the past. The main reason for this is down to ideologically-conditioned stereotypes. The paper descri-bes one such case involving hundreds of thousands of finds of one type of artefact, commonly classified as whetstones, pendants, amulets, etc., from the Chalcolithic up to the Early Middle Ages. The article emphasises that although touchstones from ancient burials had already been identified using an electron microscopy half a century ago, the interpretation of these finds corresponding to the paradigm from the early 19th century remains popular to this day. For the chemical microanalysis of metal traces preserved on the surface of these stone artefacts, samples were selected from Russian, Slovakian, Swedish and Ukrainian sites, from the Hallstatt period up to the Early Middle Ages, with special regard for their previous interpretation history. However, the main aim is to point out the symbolic role of tools used to test the value of precious metals outside the grave context. Finds from wet environments in particular reveal the continuity of the behaviour of European over the millennia, regardless of the current ideology or cult, and the diversity of artefacts that were, and still are, chosen as a medium for votive behaviour. and Archeologie má mnoho zkušeností s tím, jak chybná interpretace nálezů vytváří falešný obraz minulosti. Hlavní důvod spočívá v ideologických stereotypech. Jeden z příkladů nabízí tento článek, jehož tématem jsou stovky tisíc kamenných předmětů obvykle klasifikovaných jako brousky, přívěšky, amulety apod., a to od eneolitu do raného středověku. Ačkoli byly prubířské kameny z dávných hrobů identifikovány za použití elektronového mikroskopu už před půlstoletím, interpretace dotyčných nálezů zůstává poplatná paralokalit, od doby halštatské do raného středověku. Avšak hlavním cílem je vyzdvihnout symbolickou roli nástrojů užívaných k určení hodnoty kovu mimo pohřební kontext. Zejména nálezy z mokrého prostředí odhalují tisíciletou kontinuitu v chování Evropanů, nezávislou na dobové ideologii či kultu, a také šíři škály předmětů, které byly, ba dosud jsou, voleny jako prostředek votivního jednání.
Wetlands are sensitive ecosystems with groundwater table close to the soil surface and they are characteristics with specific biotops, corresponding to the continuous and high soil water content. The National Natural Reserve (NNR) Kláštorské lúky is one of those types of ecosystems in the catchment of Turiec River, Central Slovakia. Social changes in Slovakia led to the management changes of this reserve, and its consequence is replacement of original plants by invasive ones, particularly by weeds. Another unfavourable phenomenon is continuous decrease of groundwater table level, probably as a part of global changes. This work is focusing on evaluation of possible influence of changes in canopy properties due to wetland management on evapotranspiration and its structure, on soil water content changes and on changes of groundwater table level at this area. and Mokrade sú citlivé ekosystémy charakteristické výskytom hladiny podzemnej vody v blízkosti terénu alebo aj na jeho povrchu. Významným mokradným systémom je aj národná prírodná rezervácia (NPR) Kláštorské lúky, ležiaca v povodí rieky Turiec. Zmena vo vlastníckych vzťahoch spôsobila aj zmenu obhospodarovania mokrade a vzácne travinno-bylinné porasty sú postupne nahrádzané spoločenstvami inváznymi, najmä tŕstím. Ďalším nepriaznivým javom, ku ktorému došlo v poslednom období v NPR, je pokles hladiny podzemnej vody (HPV). Táto práca je zameraná na zistenie možného vplyvu manažmentu na evapotranspiráciu a jej štruktúru, na zmeny chodov HPV a na zmeny obsahu vody vo vrchnej vrstve pôdy, spôsobené nahradením pôvodného porastu trávy inváznym porastom - tŕstím.